It's better! 🤔 JBL Tour Pro 3 vs Technics AZ100, Samsung, Sony, AirPods, Pi8
The JBL Tour Pro 3 has gone through several firmware updates which makes what I’m about to say more relevant than if I were to review it last October. Plus, so that you can make a better purchase decision, I’m going to compare them individually to some of the most popular earbuds in the market including the new Technics AZ100, as well as some pros and cons.
Features
First a brief overview. What we have here is still a pretty large case which is large because of this screen which lets you perform many of the earbuds settings without having to even reach for your phone. This also includes managing the Bluetooth connections, which is a very important setting since this does support multipoint, a feature which lets you stay connected to two separate devices. So if you have connected a third device previously, it’s convenient to switch to it from the case itself.
And now the Tour Pro 3 is one of the very few earbuds that support a wired connection via USB or 3.5mm. So if you have a non-bluetooth source you want to connect to, even a plane entertainment system, you can. As for whether there’s a sound quality difference between the connections, there is. But we’ll get into that in a bit.
What’s also worth mentioning is Auracast. This was added in a recent update. Basically it allows you to broadcast anything you’re listening to on the wired connection, so if someone has a pair of buds that can pick up an Auracast stream, they can tune in. You can activate Auracast from the case, or you can do it from the app which also lets you set the password so not anyone can just tune in. If you want to know more about Auracast, how it works, and its benefits, watch this video.
You also get spatial audio with head tracking. Spatial audio sounds good. It does widen the soundstage, and it doesn’t apply too much reverb to the vocals, and head tracking, once optimized, works as expected. Overall, the Tour Pro 3 is one of the most customizable earbuds in the market. There are multiple ways to customize the sound whether manually, or by using Personi-Fi calibration.
Microphone Quality Comparison
Its mic pickup in that noisy situation is quite awesome. Background noise reduction was great, I could barely hear anything. Its noise gating was a bit too aggressive so it does cut into my voice at times, but overall it’s better than the B&W, the Sony, and almost as good as the Technics, Apple and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which is one of the top earbuds for mic pickup.
👉 Have a listen to the microphone quality samples.
(Tested in both quiet and noisy conditions using loud simulated cafe noise, and wind noise from a fan.)
Active Noise Cancelling
The Tour Pro 3 is the first JBL I’ve come across that comes with a pair of foam tips. They didn’t give different sizes, just the one that corresponds to the ‘M’ size silicones.
The reason you may want to use the foams is that you do get better noise canceling, and I’ve got the receipts to prove it in the following sound samples. Listen closely to how the Tour Pro 3 on silicone isn’t that much quieter than the others, but on foam, the silence is a step up.
👉Have a listen to the Active Noise Cancelling samples.
Just in case you choose the foams instead of silicone, they even have a setting that gets the buds to compensate for change in sound so remember to set that.
Transparency Mode
The Tour Pro 3’s Transparency mode sounds very natural. It doesn’t have the clear, crisp feeling of the AirPods Pro 2, but it does pass through voices well enough for verbal exchanges. And there’s only a marginal difference between wearing the buds and not wearing them.
Sound Quality
In terms of sound quality, frequency sweeps show that the dual-driver Tour Pro 3 is a slight departure from the Harman curve for IEMs with louder bass and treble, and less prominence in the upper mids, making for a more v-shaped signature which comes across in actual listening as being very energetic and excited. With their bass-mids separation being very clean, you can throw any kind of genre at it and it’ll sound good.
Now, would it be different if you’re listening over Bluetooth vs a wired connection? The answer is yes! Although the general quality and tuning of the buds won’t be so different, it does sound a bit crisper and more airy over the cable. Between the USB-C and Analogue connections, there is a difference in noise floor, the 3.5mm jack sounding a little less clean in the background.
👉 Have a listen to the sound quality samples.
Buy Tour Pro 3 or Technics AZ100?
Compared to the Technics AZ100 on their default settings, the JBL’s bass is louder, heavier, and it pretty much rivals the Technics in terms of track separation. But although they’re not dual-drivers, the Technics does reveal more detail in the mids, it’s like a veil being lifted from my music. Suddenly female vocals have more crispness and vibrance, I could hear a bit more of the guitars and percussions, and there’s a little more 3D depth to my sound. I attribute this to the Technics having a darker background in the mids which enhanced detail retreival over the JBL, although the Tour Pro 3’s mid range frequencies are louder.
In short, I do prefer the AZ100’s sound. And there are other reasons to choose it instead, like the fact that the AZ100 can pair to 3 devices at the same time whereas the JBL can only pair to 2, the much smaller case, and its noise canceling is better on Silicone. Its controls are also far more customizable than the JBL’s preset layouts, which forces me to choose whether I want noise canceling toggles, playback controls or volume, instead of being capable of all three like the Technics.
Obviously the reason to pick the JBL is the Smartcase. It offers you more freedom and flexibility. You don’t have to use your phone to perform settings and controls, just use the case, and with the wired connection you can pretty much connect these to any source of audio.
Buy Tour Pro 3 or Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?
Compared to the Pi8, one of the best sounding earbuds, if not the best, the Tour Pro 3 sounds more laid back and relaxed, something that’s more apparent in the midrange. This means the Pi8 does convey more energy into the audio, along with its signature depth which is a sharp contrast to the JBL’s more flat approach. I prefer the Pi8’s sound, the fact that its case is more compact and does also support direct wired connection, the fact that it’s the loudest earbuds I have ever tested, about 30-40% louder than the JBL, but that’s pretty much it.
In most other aspects, it’s much easier to recommend the Tour Pro 3. Even if we’re not talking about the smartcase, the JBL’s app is richer with more features and settings, it’s got Spatial Audio with head tracking, it’s more responsive, its noise canceling and mic pickup is better, and compared to the Pi8, there are barely any connectivity issues.
Buy Tour Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro?
Compared to the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, the Tour Pro 3 sounds more laid back in the mids, and the soundstaging is more relaxed, and its bass sounds a little fuller. Buds3 Pro on the other hand has much more sharpness in the upper mids, so by default they’re going to sound more crisp, but also much brighter. Coming from the JBL, the Samsungs do sound a smidge too bright, so I do prefer how the JBL sounds.
The JBL’s noise canceling is also stronger, its app is more feature rich, and you get that app support on both iOS and Android devices versus the Samsungs only being fully supported on Android. And if you don’t want to rely on just your phone for controls, the Smart Case has the settings on screen. And for audiophiles who want more bandwidth for Hi-Res listening, the JBL supports the more common LDAC versus the SSC codec that only Samsung devices have.
The JBL also has multipoint pairing and the option to connect via a wire, the Samsung doesn’t have any of those things. What the Samsungs do better is its cleaner, crisper transparency mode, its flatter, more compact case, and its controls being far better than the JBL because you can do pretty much all the settings you need even with just one earbud in the case. Volume up down, play pause, ambient modes, you name it.
Buy Tour Pro 3 or AirPods Pro 2?
The AirPods Pro 2 and the Tour Pro 3, they both sound very similar in terms of tonality, clarity and soundstaging. The only differences are that the JBL has a bit more fullness, whereas the AirPods are slightly better separated but also a bit more clinical and sterile on its default tuning. Not that one sounds better than the other, it’s too close to call, just calling out the difference.
I find the JBLs much easier to recommend for Android users because you get to enjoy the full benefits of your purchase including Hi-Res support, but if I know that person is using an iPhone, I think they’ll be much happier with the AirPods Pro 2. Obviously it’s the Apple exclusive features like seamlessly switching between all their Apple devices, the better mic pickup with Apple’s Voice Isolation mode, industry leading transparency mode, the full-range of controls on the earbuds…
But it really is the extreme portability of such a tiny case. Nonetheless the JBL is better for being platform agnostic, having Spatial Audio with head tracking and multipoint that works regardless of the brand or type of device, being able to connect to non-Bluetooth devices with a cable, and having more custom settings and features accessible from the app and the case.
Buy Tour Pro 3 or Sony WF-1000XM5?
Compared to the Tour Pro 3, the Sony WF-1000XM5 has a fuller, richer sound. Bass is louder, soundstaging more compact, and vocals are a bit crisper, whereas the JBL is more relaxed and a bit better separated. I do have a slight preference for the Sony but that’s because I’m more used to its sound, not saying that it sounds better. I do find the Sonys more easy to recommend if you want better portability, since the case is more compact, and better controls since it doesn’t force you to make tough choices about what controls to keep like the JBL does.
But the JBL is much richer in features and settings. You can tune its mic pickup, there’s more flexibility in its manual EQ, Personi-Fi auto tuning, Spatial Audio that works with any device and app, and of course, the Smart Case with its ability to connect with a wire. In terms of performance, if you were to swap the JBL’s silicone tips to foam, its noise canceling is also going to be a little better than the Sony. And its mic pickup filters voice better so you are going to sound cleaner to the person on the other side of the call.
Verdict
Overall, I can see why the Tour Pro 3 is going to be a strong contender for 2025’s best wireless earbuds. It’s got so much to offer. Only thing you’re giving up is portability, and to be honest, that’s the main thing that’s holding me back from making them my daily driver instead of something like the Technics AZ100. The way I’ll use it? I’ll probably hook it to my monitor because it doesn’t have Bluetooth, and I do need a convenient way to check the audio.
Check latest price:
JBL Tour Pro 3 - https://amzn.to/4kUF4Ih
Technics EAH-AZ100 - https://amzn.to/4hcKrQD
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 - https://amzn.to/3U8n9lT
Sony WF-1000XM5- https://amzn.to/3JGI1uN
AirPods Pro 2 USB-C - https://amzn.to/3UoeJG8
Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro - https://amzn.to/4fvUNLn
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